The Colony at NoDa Association Governing Documents

Welcome to the repository for the governing documents of The Colony at NoDa Association. This repository contains transcriptions of the original documents, which were scanned and transcribed into Markdown format for better readability and ease of editing.

Purpose

The purpose of this repository is to provide a clear and accessible version of the governing documents for The Colony at NoDa Association. These documents include the Declarations, Bylaws, and other important records that govern the operations and management of the association.

Why GitHub?

Using GitHub for managing the governing documents provides several advantages, especially for legal documents:

  1. Commit History: Given that this is a transcription of scanned documents, there could be errors. GitHub’s commit history allows us to track changes over time, making it easy to see what was changed and when. This is particularly useful for tracking typo fixes and other corrections.
  2. Version Control: GitHub’s version control system helps in maintaining a clear record of all modifications, ensuring that we can always revert to previous versions if needed.
  3. Collaboration: GitHub facilitates collaboration by allowing multiple contributors to propose changes, review them, and merge them into the main document. This review process ensures that all proposed changes are vetted before being accepted.
  4. Transparency: Using GitHub makes the process transparent, as anyone can view the history of changes and understand the evolution of the documents.

By leveraging GitHub, we ensure that the governing documents are accurately maintained and that any changes are properly documented and reviewed.

Why Markdown?

Markdown is a lightweight markup language that is easy to read and write. It allows for simple formatting without the need for complex typesetting tools. Here are some reasons why Markdown is a better choice for transcribing these documents:

  1. Readability: Markdown files are plain text, making them easy to read and understand without special software.
  2. Version Control: Using Markdown allows us to track changes over time using version control systems like Git.
  3. Portability: Markdown files can be easily converted to other formats such as HTML, PDF, and Word.
  4. Simplicity: Markdown supports basic formatting features like headings, lists, and links, which are sufficient for most document needs.

Editing vs. Typesetting

It’s relevant to clarify the difference in editing and typesetting. Typically a word processor (MS Word, Google Docs) handles both, but by choosing Markdown we’re primarily focused on editing.

  • Editing: Editing involves making changes to the content of the document. This can be done using any text editor, allowing for quick and easy updates.
  • Typesetting: Typesetting is the process of arranging text in a visually appealing way, often requiring specialized software to achieve professional results.

By optimizing for editing, we ensure that the documents are easy to update and maintain. This approach also provides future flexibility in formatting documents as many tools exist for converting Markdown to numerous document and web formats.

Changes from Original Format

While transcribing the documents, some changes were made to improve clarity and consistency:

  1. Handwritten Parts: Any parts that were originally handwritten are now included as code comments for clarity.
  2. Numbered Lists: Instead of lettered lists, we use numbered lists, as this is what Markdown supports.
  3. Formatting: The overall formatting has been adjusted to fit the Markdown syntax, making it easier to edit, maintain, and navigate.

How to Contribute

If you find any errors or have suggestions for improvements, please feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request. Your contributions are valuable in keeping these documents accurate and up-to-date.

Contact

For any questions or concerns, please contact the board or management company

The Colony at NoDa Association